Hair curler



S. J. CATANIA HAIR CURLER Aug. 27, 1963 Filed June 30, 1961 dR. w 2 am 0 .mw a 2... e mm M M/ a V l, N f 22 .902% C1 mm 6 3 ..M J 2 M 5 .m 2 1/m W a. n. 4 a 2 a H 3 2m m m s W Q y c n n Fig. 2

United States Patent O 3,101,726 HAIR CURLER Salvatore J. Catania, 2531 S. 90th St., Omaha, Nebr. Filed June 30, 1961, Ser. No. 121,161 2 Claims. (Cl. 132-42) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in hair dressing appliances, and in particularthe invention concerns itself with the provision of an improved device which may be conveniently and effectively employed for waving, curlin-g and combing hair, either 1n professional hairdressing establishments or in the home.

The principal object of the invention is to provide what may be broadly referred to as a hair curler having special structural features for waving aand combing `as well as for curling fthe hair, the curler as such being quickly and easily applied, comfortable in use, highly eflicient in its function, and readily removed from the hair when no longer needed.

`Other advantages of the invention reside in its simple construction, in its durability and in its adaptability to convenient and economical manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction 'and operation ras more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the `accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is aperspective view showing several curlers in accordance with the invention in use;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view showin-g one of the curlers being applied to the hair;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional View, taken substantially in the plane of the line 3 3` in FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a plan View of one `of the curlers;

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken substantially in the plane ott the line 5-5 in FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is an end view of the curler.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, -a hair waving, curling and combing device in accordance 'with the invention, which may be generally designated las a hair curler, is indicated by the general reference numeral 10 and embodies in its construction an elongated convexo-concave, comb-like body member 12, the convexo-concavity thereof being produced by a transverse curvature best shown in FIGURE 3. The member 12 is longitudinally slotted to provide a set of tooth elements 14 having pointed end portions 16, the slots or spaces between these tooth elements being 'adapted to receive strands of hair 18, as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

The curler 10 also embodies an elongated oonvexo-concave, plate-like clamp member Ztl which is juxtaposed to the body member 12 complement-ally in the concavity of the latter for clampingly engaging the hair strands `ltl which, when the device is installed, lare wound around both the body member 12 and the clamp member 20 as illustrated in FIGURES l iand 3.

The members 1.2 and are provided at one end thereof with integral extensions constituting a pair of co-acting finger grips 22, the finger grips having apertured`, intertting side flanges 24 connected together by 'a transverse pivot pin 26 so that the members 12 and 20 may be moved toward and away from each other, as will be clearly apparent. A suitable spring 28 is provided on the pivot pin 26 and engages the finger grips 24 to urge them apart, thus lbiasing the members 12 and 20 together.

An elastic keeper band 30 has one end thereof provided with a loop 32 for 'anchoring the same to the nger grips 22 adjacent the pivot pin 26. The band 30 is adapted to be extended lengthwise of the concave side of the member 20 and its free end portion is formed with an y 3,101,726 Patented Aug. 27, 1963 lCC aperture 34 for engagement with the pointed end portion 16 of yone of the tooth elements 14 as shown by the dotted lines 30 in FIGURE 5, thus retaining the device place after the hair strands 18 have been wound yaround the same. In this regard it may be noted that the pointed end portion 16 of at least one of the elements 14 projects longitudinally beyond the member 20 to facilitate engagement of the band 36 therewith.

The device 10 is applied to the hair by rst pressing the finger grips 22 together so as to move the members 12 and 20 apart, whereupon the tooth elements 14 of the member 12 are inserted through the hair Istrands 18 as shown in FIGURE 2. Finger pressure on the grips 22 is then relaxed so that the spring 28 causes the members 12 and 20 to move together, with the member 20` clamping the hair strands engaged by the member 12. The entire device is then rotated about its longitudinal 'axis so as to wind the haii strands around the members 12 land 20y as shown in FIGURE 3, and the keeper band 30 i-s then stretched over the hair strands which span the concavity of the member 20 and is `connected to one of the tooth elements 14 as already described, whereby to retain the device in position.

It may be noted that the convexe-concave configuration of the members 12, 26 avoids the relatively more bulky form of conventional cylindrical curlers, so that the devices 10 may be applied to the hair with neatness and better t into the space available in a hair drier.

The device 10 may be formed `from plastic or any other .suitable material and such material preferably has some degree of resilient deformability which enables the members 12, 20 to flatten out somewhat under the weight or a u'sers head while sleeping, so that the curlers may be Worn during sleep with little or no discomfort. Upon arising, the .members 12, 20 resiliently return to their convexoconcave form.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those :skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation as shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modiiications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A hair curler comprising an elongated comb-like body member formed from resiliently deformable material and tof a conveXo-concave cross-section adapted to assume a substantially flat condition when flexed, a set of longitudinally extending spaced tooth elements cut in said body member and opening at one end thereof adapted to have strands of hair passed through the spaces therebetween, an elongated plate-like clamp member of transverse convexe-concave shape formed 4from a resiliently deformable material adapted to assume a substantially flat condition when `flexed juxtaposed with its convex surface complemented to the concave surface of said body rnember for clampingly engaging strands of hair passing through the yspaces of the latter, means `between said body member and said clamp member at one of the juxtaposed ends thereof pivotally connecting said members for movement toward and :away from each other, fand means for releasably locking said body and clamp member together comprising an elastic band of a less-er longitudinal extent than said tooth elements :anchored at one len-d to said clamping member adjacent its concave surface and said pivot means, a hole lformed in the other end of said brand, said hole being releasably engaged on la tooth element of the comb-like body member by stretching said band to span the concavity of the clamping member after the c omb-li'ke body andclgmping member have'vbeen rotated about their longitudinal axes to Wind the clamped hair 2. The device as `defined in claim 1 wherein said tooth element releasalbly engaged with said elastic lband being of Hg'eat'eljlo''ngitudiilal 'extent than the rest of the tooth elements ofsad Comb-like lbody membei.

References Cited in the 'le of'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bonat et al. Aug. 10, 1926 Wider-man Feb. 13, 1934 Reininger Mey 27, 1947 --Pileggiet al. Api'. 1, 1958 

1. A HAIR CURLER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED COMB-LIKE BODY MEMBER FORMED FROM RESILIENTLY DEFORMABLE MATERIAL AND OF A CONVEXO-CONCAVE CROSS-SECTION ADAPTED TO ASSUME A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT CONDITION WHEN FLEXED, A SET OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SPACED TOOTH ELEMENTS CUT IN SAID BODY MEMBER AND OPENING AT ONE END THEREOF ADAPTED TO HAVE STRANDS OF HAIR PASSED THROUGH THE SPACES THEREBETWEEN, AN ELONGATED PLATE-LIKE CLAMP MEMBER OF TRANSVERSE CONVEXO-CONCAVE SHAPE FORMED FROM A RESILIENTLY DEFORMABLE MATERIAL ADAPTED TO ASSUME A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT CONDITION WHEN FLEXED JUXTAPOSED WITH ITS CONVEX SURFACE COMPLEMENTAL TO THE CONCAVE SURFACE OF SAID BODY MEMBER FOR CLAMPLINGLY ENGAGING STRANDS OF HAIR PASSING THROUGH THE SPACES OF THE LATTER, MEANS BETWEEN SAID BODY MEMBER AND SAID CLAMP MEMBER AT ONE OF THE JUXTAPOSED ENDS THEREOF PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID MEMBERS FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID BODY AND CLAMP MEMBER TOGETHER COMPRISING AN ELASTIC BAND OF A LESSER LONGITUDINAL EXTENT THAN SAID TOOTH ELEMENTS ANCHORED AT ONE END TO SAID CLAMPING MEMBER ADJACENT ITS CONCAVE SURFACE AND SAID PIVOT MEANS, A HOLE FORMED IN THE OTHER END OF SAID BAND, SAID HOLE BEING RELEASABLY ENGAGED OIN A TOOTH ELEMENT OF THE COMB-LIKE BODY MEMBER BY STRETCHING SAID BAND TO SPAN THE CONCAVITY OF THE CLAMPING MEMBER HAVE BEEN ROTATED COMB-LIKE BODY AND CLAMPING MEMBER HAVE BEEN ROTATED ABOUT THEIR LONGITUDINAL AXES TO WIND THE CLAMPED HAIR STRANDS THEREABOUT. 